Friends, it seems that Randy could no longer bless us with his presence. He passed today from complications with cancer. Although I am sad to see him leave us, he has touched and inspired millions through his teachings, his last lecture, and his book, “The Last Lecture”.

I don’t believe he would want any of us to despair. Rather, he wants all of us to make the most of our lives and to focus on living a life that pursues our dreams.

Some of my favorite quotes from Randy are:

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

“Enabling the dreams of others is even more fun [than achieving your own dreams].”

“The inspiration and permission to dream is HUGE.”

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”

“Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you feel more welcome.”

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get want you wanted.”

“We don’t beat the [grim reaper] by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well.”

“It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, but it is the things we do NOT do that we regret.”

“Find your passion and follow it. You will not find that passion in things or in money and you will never be happy if these things are your passion.”

What are your favorite quotes from Randy? (If you have any, please list them in the comments area below.) If you feel inclined to donate money in honor of Randy, the family suggests that you donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or you can donate to the Randy Pausch Memorial Fund. You can read more about Randy’s accomplishments on our various posts about Randy or on Carnegie Mellon’s page for his contributions.

If I were to have a conversation with Randy in person, I can imagine it right now. He would say to me, “What are your dreams and what are you doing to achieve them?”

I’m sure we’ve all experienced this. Maybe it’s on our way to class, to work, getting off the subway, crossing the street, your see 3 or 4 people wearing GreenPeace shirts, education shirts, anything bright holding a clipboard, and you immediately think of a way to get out of talking to them or an alternate route to take to avoid them. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to cough up some dough for a cause or organization I stand for or support, but that doesn’t mean I want to talk to these people every time they approach me.

The Jimmy Fund found a way around this that makes people excited to give money for a cause. It is an organization that supports the fight against cancer at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The people at The Jimmy Fund hosts a series of events throughout the year in the New England region that brings families and friends together for a day (or days) of fun activities. I just participated in the Scooper Bowl this week at Boston City Hall. It is a three day event sponsored by several ice cream makers such as Ben and Jerry’s, Coldstone Creamery, Breyer’s, and more. You pay $8 and it’s all you can eat ice cream. You can also purchase a pass to go in all 3 days. This event draws many people (the day I went it was packed, and I was only there for maybe an hour and half), and it’s a good way to draw people to support a cause without having them feel like they are obligated to.

I’m sure there are other foundations and organizations that do fundraising events like The Jimmy Fund, so keep an eye out in your area on events that support a great cause you stand for.

If you live in the New England region, there are many more events to come in the rest of the year. For more information and to learn more about The Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, go to their web site. The Jimmy Fund also holds several events outside of New England, so check to see if there is one in your area soon!

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Since my last post about Randy Pausch’s battle with cancer, he hasn’t had much to share with the public. Many people have purchased his book, “The Last Lecture”, and appreciate him sharing his knowledge. Since the book’s publishing, Randy gave a commencement speech at this year’s graduation at Carnegie Mellon. His speech was the “Charge Address” and you can watch it on the video above.

The most memorable quotes from his address are:

1. “We don’t beat the [grim reaper] by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well.”
2. “It is not the things we do in life that we regret on our deathbed, but it is the things we do NOT do that we regret.”
3. “Find your passion and follow it. You will not find that passion in things or in money and you will never be happy if these things are your passion.”

Watch the video and I promise you will not regret it. And, oh yeah, it seems his cancer has spread. But, my friends, that is just a side note for Randy is truly living life well.

The last note is that Al Gore delivered the keynote speech at Carnegie Mellon and Randy shared the stage with a former vice president of the United States. I think that fits very nicely.

Several us of have been following Randy Pausch since we heard (or heard about) his final lecture at Carnegie Mellon. In the May 3, 2008 Wall Street Journal, Jeff Zaslow, Randy Pausch’s co-author on a new book called The Last Lecture, tells the story about how he met Randy and how they wrote the book together. According to traditional media, some people have been critical of the authors for “exploiting the situation” by writing this book, I disagree. Watch the lecture (or read an excerpt from the book) before you decide.

I previously wrote about Randy Pausch and his battle with cancer in February. If you don’t know the back story, Dr. Pausch delivered a insightful and inspirational final lecture to his students that became immensely popular. (Visit the previous post to view a video of the lecture.) Dr. Pausch was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in August of 2007.

Since that time, Randy has managed to accomplish quite a bit. He lobbied congress to increase funding for pancreatic cancer research, he wrote a book titled, “The Last Lecture”, and he made a trip to Disney World with his family. In addition, he did all of this while battling cancer.

If you would like to support Randy’s fight against pancreatic cancer, you can support or get involved with Lustgarten foundation, and/or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).

If you would like to find out more about Randy’s battle, you can read his online journal.